Purgatorio

“To race now over better waves, my ship

of mind—alive again—hoist sail, and leaves

behind its little keep the gulf that proved so cruel.

And I’ll sing, now, about that second realm

where human spirits purge themselves from stain,

Becoming worthy to ascend to Heaven.

Here, too, dead poetry will rise again.

For now, you sacred Muses, I am yours.” 

The opening lines of Purgatorio announce and embody Dante’s mission in the poem. His metaphor—”ship of mind”—speaks to the interconnection of intellectual and sensory attributes that he weaves throughout the poem. He will “sing,” as epic poets have since antiquity, with the inspiration of the “sacred Muses,” but rather than singing of mythic heroes, he will sing of a spiritual Christian journey of redemption. Dante foregrounds the role and importance of poetry, which will culminate in Canto 33 with Beatrice instructing him to carry her words back to earth through his work. 

‘“Compare: when doves, when gleaning grain or weeds,

flock all together at their feeding place,

With none of their habitual pride, at peace,

if something they are fearful of appears,

then suddenly they’ll leave that bait behind,

assailed by greater worries as they are now.

In that same way, I saw that fresh new band

break off their song and flee towards the cliff,

as people do, not knowing where they’ll end.

Our own departure wasn’t much less swift.’” 

Cato, Purgatory’s caretaker, urges penitents to hurry on their journey. Dante compares the penitents’ response to doves who rush off when startled by something that frightens them. The translator, Kirkpatrick, explains that he uses “compare” throughout the poem to render Dante’s liberal use of extended similes in his Italian verse. “Compare” invites readers to engage deeply with the text, contemplate the relationship between the elements under comparison, and make connections between them. Kirkpatrick also uses alliteration, internal rhyme, and